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In the grandeur of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, a crowd of today’s immigrants—largely from Latino, Asian, and Black backgrounds—gather on an incline with their humble sacks and bags. An individual in a tee-shirt tenderly carries a child, as a young person in athletic shoes sits solemnly up front. High up among the billowing clouds, the Lamb of God stands on a white altar within the radiant glow of dangling golden lines suggesting the divine essence.

This touching and grand tableau constitutes a segment of one of the most important recent public artworks across a fragmented modern America.

“What I want people to realize from the mural,” declares the artist, “is our shared experience and unity. To utilize such a vast canvas for this statement represents an incredible honor.”

The cathedral, often called the nation’s parish church, ministers to around 2.5 million area worshippers. It’s one of the two most important cathedrals in the country and by far the most visible with 5 million visitors a year. This artwork represents the largest permanent piece commissioned by the cathedral in its 146-year history.

An Inspiration of Togetherness

In the artist’s competition-winning vision, the mural realizes a longtime wish to honor the famed vision featuring holy figures including Mary, Joseph, John the Baptist, the Lamb, and angels in a rural Irish sanctuary during the late 19th century. The artist expands that commemoration to involve past Irish migrants and New York’s broader multicultural immigration.

The sizable wall on the west side, flanking the cathedral’s main doors, displays five historical Catholic luminaries paired with five contemporary emergency service members. Above each assembly floats a large angelic figure in a setting again of those gleaming stripes evoking God’s presence.

Celebrating Multifaceted Achievements

Regarding the five Catholic icons the institution highlighted founder John Hughes, Dorothy Day, the onetime nonconformist turned campaigner, and Pierre Toussaint, the once-enslaved individual who rose to prominence as a stylist and donor. The creator incorporated indigenous saint Kateri Tekakwitha, the premier indigenous holy figure, and picked Al Smith, the popular New York politico of the 1920s and 1930s. The first responders were the artist’s idea too.

The piece’s technique is distinctly figurative—an intentional decision. “Since this is a U.S. artwork, not a European one,” the painter states. “Abroad, lengthy traditions of church art exist, they don’t need to do it that way any more. But we do.”

An Endeavor of Passion

The massive project engaged approximately three dozen contributors, including an eminent fine-art gilder for the upper-mural stripes of gold leaf, platinum and heated titanium. The drafting phase lasted several months within a spacious atelier in a waterfront district, and then most of a year for the intensive artwork—clambering up and down a scaffold to gauge things.

“Given my familial background in design,” he answers. “So I understood how to plan for the space.”

Concerning the stepping-down archbishop, he announced during the artwork’s unveiling: “Many wonder whether this addresses newcomer issues? Absolutely, indeed. Specifically, that newcomers are divine creations.”

“Everyone shares this experience,” the artist repeats. “Despite personal feelings,” he notes. Diverse political adherents appear in the piece. Along with assorted faiths. “Yet, universal human traits bind everyone,” he maintains. “It extends beyond personal compatibility.”